


Why I'm Glad Ginny Is Dating Draco Malfoy

by Sarea Okelani (sarea)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Hogwarts Era, Post-Hogwarts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-02-23
Updated: 2005-02-23
Packaged: 2017-10-08 08:41:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/74745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sarea/pseuds/Sarea%20Okelani
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ron makes a list.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Why I'm Glad Ginny Is Dating Draco Malfoy

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you thank you thank you to Jade Okelani, my beta slave... I mean, goddess. As always, she Lumos-es my way.

Why I'm Glad Ginny Is Dating Draco Malfoy  
by Sarea Okelani

~.~

If you know Hermione, you know that above all else, she's a reasonable person. Sometimes she's reasonable when she should be really bloody angry and want to kill something, but that's neither here nor there. Take the situation with Ginny and Malfoy, for example. When we found out they were (gag) dating, obviously the correct response was to stomp around a lot and yell and hope to make Ginny see sense. Harry agreed with me. We were both mid-stomp when Hermione very rudely interrupted us and said, in that annoyingly calm way of hers, that instead of acting like a couple of overbearing troutheads (she said that!), we ought to take a more rational approach if we wanted Ginny to listen to us. I tried to protest that Ginny would listen to me anyway, because I'm her big brother and she listens to every wise word that I say, but Hermione only looked at me like I was mental.

"If you truly don't think she ought to be with Malfoy, then you should tell her the reasons – sincerely and with no shouting," Hermione said.

"I shouldn't have to give her any reasons!" I shouted. "Anyone with two brain cells to rub together knows why she should see him at the bottom of the lake, not _date_ him!"

Hermione sighed. "My advice would be to not say that."

I really, really wanted to say it, but in the end I took Hermione's advice and "reasoned" with Ginny. But you know what I found out? There _is_ no reasoning with Ginny. That girl is completely nutters. I came up with five extremely solid reasons as to why she shouldn't date that odious Malfoy. They were:

  

  1. He's a git
  

  2. He has stupid girly hair
  

  3. He dresses like a ponce
  

  4. He's really good at potions and the dark arts, so he's bound to poison or curse her one day when she makes him angry, which she is bound to do, because she's really good at annoying people.
  

  5. His father was a Death Eater and he'll probably be one too.
  



But instead of being _appreciative_ of the fact that I was only trying to _help_ her, she went and got into a strop and wouldn't talk to me for a week, _and_ continued to see that wanker!

I was convinced that Ginny would see sense eventually. After all, she is a Weasley and related to me. But weeks passed by, and still they were groping each other in the hallways and spending every Hogsmeade weekend together. It was sick making. My hope that she was playing an elaborate joke on Malfoy slowly but surely died a very sad death.

Now it's been two months, and Hermione says that instead of moping around feeling depressed about the fact that my sister is going to become Draco Malfoy's Dark Mistress of Evil, I should come up with reasons why I'm _glad_ they're dating.

So, after a lot of thought, I've come up with five reasons why I'm glad Ginny is dating Malfoy. They are:

  

  1. When Gryffindor defeats Slytherin at the first match of the year, Malfoy will be humiliated not only in front of his House (like every year), but also in front of his girlfriend. Ginny will lose respect for him and might even break up with him!
  

  2. We can wind Malfoy up in new and interesting ways, and there's nothing he can do to us if he wants to stay in Ginny's good graces.
  

  3. He'll have to make an arse of himself being lovey dovey on Valentine's Day like all the other blokes who want to keep their birds happy, or suffer the consequences.
  

  4. They'll break up eventually.
  

  5. Hmm. I can't think of a fifth, but I'm sure one will come to me.
  



Hermione says that when I feel upset about the Ginny/Malfoy situation, I should look at my list, which will make me feel better. I hope she's right.

~.~

The Gryffindor crowd roared when Ginny put another Quaffle through the hoop. She was playing like a demon today! I have to admit, I was half expecting her to take it easy, since we were playing Slytherin and all. I was sure she wouldn't want to embarrass her own boyfriend, but apparently I shouldn't have worried. Ginny was scoring so much my new concern was that she'd get called a Quaffle hog. We were up 120-70, and it was over a few moments later when Harry caught the Snitch.

I showered happily, thinking of how Malfoy was bound to take this loss as a personal affront, considering Ginny had played harder than I've ever seen her play – and against his team, no less! And if there's one thing Malfoy hates, it's losing. Of course, Weasleys hate to lose, too, as Ginny proved today. No Malfoy was worth throwing a game for, obviously.

It was really hot in the changing room from the steam of the showers, so I told Harry I'd wait for him outside. He'd been doing something new with his hair lately that took him hours to perfect, but it didn't look any different to me.

It was refreshingly brisk out on the pitch, and when I first heard someone talking I didn't think anything of it. Then I grinned, recognizing Ginny. Her voice was coming from outside the girls' changing room, and I headed over there, thinking I'd congratulate her on a game well played.

I froze, however, when I heard another voice – one that definitely did not belong to Natalie MacDonald, our other female Chaser.

_It's wrong to eavesdrop,_ I told myself, even as I flattened myself against the wall and inched closer so as to hear better.

"Ow," I heard Malfoy say. "Watch what you're bloody doing. That's where Potter fouled me to get to the Snitch. He's got really sharp elbows."

"I think you're more sore from losing than from Harry's hit," Ginny said, not sounding at all sympathetic.

YES! It was happening already. Malfoy was feeling sullen about Slytherin's loss, and Ginny wasn't pandering to him. Anyway, what a baby. I saw the whole thing; Harry hadn't hit Malfoy any harder than Malfoy himself had hit Harry.

"You think so, do you?" Malfoy's voice had gotten all quiet, so I had to strain to hear him. "I think I'm more sore about losing our wager. I had many delightful things planned for you." I barely caught the next bit, but once I made out the words I wish I hadn't. "You might have even enjoyed some of them."

"Well," Ginny said, after a few moments where the only sound that could be heard was the excruciating noise of wet smacking. "I have many plans for _you,_ darling. I hope you remembered to bring the toys."

Toys? Wait, what toys? Like Tiddlywinks?

"Oh, I remembered, all right," said Malfoy in a voice I barely recognized was his. It sounded like someone had stuffed ten frogs down his throat. "You won, fair and square. I'm prepared to pay my debts."

"Not here!" Ginny squealed, laughing. "Later tonight." Then _her_ voice got all low, and even though I didn't want to hear what she said next, I heard it anyway. "In your room."

I walked away quickly, not caring if they heard me. Ew. Ewww. EWWWWW. I wanted to scrub out my ears with something. Maybe Harry would _Obliviate_ me. I didn't want to hear my sister saying those things! I especially didn't want to hear her saying them to _Malfoy_. I pressed my fingers to my temple, which had started to throb all of a sudden. Perhaps it was a brain aneurysm.

Searching through my book bag, I pulled out a quill and a folded piece of parchment. I made some adjustments.

**Why I'm Glad Ginny Is Dating Draco Malfoy**

  

  1. ~~When Gryffindor defeats Slytherin at the first match of the year, Malfoy will be humiliated not only in front of his House (like every year), but also in front of his girlfriend. Ginny will lose respect for him and might even break up with him! ~~
  

  2. We can wind Malfoy up in new and interesting ways, and there's nothing he can do to us if he wants to stay in Ginny's good graces.
  

  3. He'll have to make an arse of himself being lovey dovey on Valentine's Day like all the other blokes who want to keep their birds happy, or suffer the consequences.
  

  4. They'll break up eventually.
  

  5. Hmm. I can't think of a fifth, but I'm sure one will come to me.
  



~.~

All right, so Ginny and Malfoy weren't going to break up because of a stupid Quidditch game. That's pretty obvious now. I only considered it because I was holding on to this naive hope that they weren't in a _real_ relationship. No, it was just a bad dream I had to wake up from. It was also very clear that Ginny wasn't about to break up with Malfoy just because I wanted it to happen. If it was going to happen (please Merlin), it would happen of its own accord, in its own time.

In the meanwhile, I could have a bit of fun at Malfoy's expense. What was the harm in that?

The other Gryffindor boys were more than willing to help. Well, with a little incentive.

"Ginny," I called, seeing her approach. "Over here." I was standing with a small group of guys in front of the Great Hall. We were just about to go in to lunch.

"Hello," she said, sauntering over. Ginny didn't used to saunter, did she? I could see Dean Thomas gaping as he took in my sister's long, bare legs. The miniscule skirt she was wearing was positively indecent. I swallowed my reprimand, however, as this would never work if Ginny were upset with me.

I not-so-gently elbowed Dean in the ribs, and he let out a little chuff of air. He'd never gone out with Ginny, and we all suspected he still carried a bit of a torch for her. When she'd first mentioned that she was interested in Dean on the train ride home all those years ago, I'd immediately warned Dean away. I wasn't sure at the time if she'd just been having me on, but in case, I performed my big brother duties. As a result, Dean had never even come close to asking Ginny out, and of course I would come to bitterly regret having interfered. Even now she could be dating a decent bloke like Dean rather than that slimy, insufferable—

"Ron?"

I forced a smile. "Yes, Gin?"

Ginny peered at me curiously. "What's wrong? You look kind of strange."

"Then obviously, nothing's wrong," Neville chortled. He was a lot more cheeky than he used to be, that Neville. But he hadn't changed so much that one glare from me didn't immediately prompt a meek, "Sorry there, Ron."

I didn't have a chance to reply, as I saw my target heading our way. Immediately, I gave Seamus the signal. He nodded, edging closer to Ginny, then pretended to trip. He grabbed on to her waist and she squeaked, trying to keep her balance and his by throwing her arm around him. "Oops," Seamus said, grinning easily. "Apologies for my clumsiness, fair maiden." Only Finnigan could get away with something like that – which was why he'd been chosen, after all.

Ginny didn't suspect a thing. She smiled. "All right there, Seamus?" He hadn't taken his arm from around her waist, but it was more of a friendly, than lecherous, gesture, and Ginny didn't seem to mind.

I could tell from the thunderous look on Malfoy's face as he bore down on us, however, that he _did_ mind. It was all I could do not to snicker.

"Hey, Malfoy," I greeted casually. I could afford to be generous. I'd rarely seen him look so tight lipped.

Ginny turned in surprise. "Hello, Draco!" she said brightly, and leaned up to kiss his cheek.

A tic worked in Malfoy's jaw as he glared pointedly at Seamus's arm, but Ginny was oblivious. Seamus, however, was not, and at that look he hastily drew away from Ginny. Without another word Malfoy swept Ginny away into the Great Hall, where she would no doubt sit with him at the Slytherin table, feeding him morsels of food, as she often did. Ugh.

I glared at Seamus, then flipped him a gold Galleon. "Not that you deserve it," I grumbled.

"Hey, I risked my very _life_ for you, and that's the gratitude I get?" Seamus complained. "That was worth more than a Galleon. I'm all for winding Malfoy up, but I thought he was going to hex my arm off right then and there."

"Oh, he wouldn't have done anything," I tried to wave off, although I wasn't actually certain about that. Who knew better than I that Malfoy was capable of extremely nasty and evil deeds?

"Yeah, well, next time, leave me out of it," Seamus said, pocketing the Galleon and shuddering. "I'm happy to observe, but no more participating."

Malfoy looked pouty and upset all throughout lunch. He and Ginny left early. On my way to Herbology, I saw Ginny rush away from an empty classroom, not looking quite as put together as she had earlier. Two seconds later Malfoy exited the same classroom, his tie askew and his normally perfect hair mussed. He had a smug half-grin on his face, and he no longer looked upset.

Well, that about made me bring up my lunch. As Professor Sprout droned on and on about the uses of Yewblorcus leaves, I updated my parchment.

**Why I'm Glad Ginny Is Dating Draco Malfoy**

  

  1. ~~When Gryffindor defeats Slytherin at the first match of the year, Malfoy will be humiliated not only in front of his House (like every year), but also in front of his girlfriend. Ginny will lose respect for him and might even break up with him! ~~
  

  2. ~~We can wind Malfoy up in new and interesting ways, and there's nothing he can do to us if he wants to stay in Ginny's good graces.~~
  

  3. He'll have to make an arse of himself being lovey dovey on Valentine's Day like all the other blokes who want to keep their birds happy, or suffer the consequences.
  

  4. They'll break up eventually.
  

  5. Hmm. I can't think of a fifth, but I'm sure one will come to me.
  



~.~

The dreaded day had arrived.

"Happy Valentine's Day!" Mandy Brocklehurst said chirpily, bounding up to me and kissing me on the lips.

"Er – yeah," I said reluctantly. I hated this holiday; couldn't show enthusiasm for it. There was no other day of the year that showcased just how lacking the male species was than Valentine's Day. "Happy, uh – well, here you go." I thrust a pale pink rose at her. Mandy and I hadn't been dating for very long, so I wasn't required to get her anything too spectacular. In fact, if I did, she would think I was off putting and might break up with me, at least according to the girls I had spoken to. It was a fine line that I had to walk. Any misstep and it was all over. No wonder a quarter of the blokes in my year had feigned sickness rather than attend class today.

"I love pink!" Mandy exclaimed, and threw her arms around me.

_Whew,_ I thought. She had baked me some cookies, which she handed over with a beaming smile. They were hard as rocks. Perhaps I could use them as paperweights. I tucked the package into my book bag and said that I wanted to savor them when I was alone and missing her. That went over very well. It was shaping up to be one of the least uncomfortable Valentine's Days I'd ever spent.

On top of which, I had the added bonus of getting to watch Malfoy make a fool of himself. Or, if he _didn't_ make a fool of himself, watch Ginny break up with him. It was a win-win situation.

Anything could happen. Malfoy didn't strike me as the type to woo his girls with cheesy Valentine's sentiments, and I couldn't remember him ever having done such a thing with any of his previous girlfriends. I'm sure those Slytherin girls let him get away with being a bad boyfriend and doing whatever he wanted, but Ginny wouldn't.

Would she?

At dinner time, all the other girls were laden down with Valentine's gifts. I'd seen my poor, sad mates making complete arses of themselves to please their girls – reciting poetry, looking ecstatic about heart-covered boxer shorts, singing asinine songs about love and devotion. We all looked at our watches with increasingly desperate faces. Would this day never _end?_

Unlike many of the other girls, Ginny was not laden down with gifts. Her hair was not full of sparkly hearts. Her nails were not painted pink, red, and white. No one had sung her any songs or recited her any poetry. As far as I could tell, Malfoy had done the usual and ignored the day altogether. He had not performed like a trained monkey in front of his peers to win the favor of his lady love. In fact, he wasn't even in the hall for dinner.

I expected to see Ginny looking angry. Or disappointed. Or tearful. Instead, she looked radiant. She didn't say a word, but I could tell. So could the other girls.

"So Ginny, what did Draco get for you?" Parvati Patil asked. Only a girl could get away with such callous bluntness, let me tell you. If a guy tried it, he'd be missing some vital parts come morning.

"A card," Ginny replied dreamily.

A card? _A card?_ A measly, stinking, no-effort-required little card and my sister was looking like that? Was she mental? Had Malfoy performed _Imperius_ on her? Were her expectations so low? Didn't she see herself as deserving of more?

Seamus, like the other guys who were witnessing this, couldn't stand it anymore and said rather sarcastically, "Was it made of _gold?_"

"No," Ginny said in that same dreamy way. "It was just a regular Valentine's card."

"What did it say?" Susan Bones asked eagerly. What the hell was Susan Bones doing at our table anyway? And that's when I noticed that it wasn't just Susan; apparently Ginny had caught the attention of many of the girls from the other Houses.

"He wrote – he said – _it,_" Ginny whispered, then blushed prettily.

All the girls gasped. All the guys looked at one another, completely flummoxed. Malfoy had said _it?_ Clearly, none of us had a clue what _it_ was, though we were upset by the fact that apparently this magic _it_ was a secret Malfoy had been hoarding and hadn't seen fit to share with the rest of the male population, the bastard. He'd gotten away with sending Ginny a useless little card, caused her to look like the cat who'd eaten the canary, and made her the envy of all the girls around her. After Ginny's pronouncement, you could see the other girls looking at their finery, at all the things their boyfriends had gotten them, all the efforts we'd made, and finding it all lacking.

"Can I see?" Mandy asked tremulously, and my forehead made a loud *thunk* sound as it hit the table. Not that anyone noticed.

"Well ... all right," Ginny said. She reached into her book bag and took out a cream-colored envelope. The wanker had even managed to avoid the usual Valentine colors.

Mandy opened the card and exclaimed, "Oh, it's so wonderful!"

"And he wrote it himself!" cried another. "It wasn't printed on the card, so he really means it!"

"It's such a simple sentiment. He didn't even write your names, because he doesn't need to. There's only you and him," sniffled Lavender Brown. "That's what all the romance novels would say."

"You're so lucky, Ginny," said some girl I wasn't sure even went to Hogwarts.

While the girls were fawning over Malfoy's stupid card and the guys around me were fuming, I caught a glimpse of what Malfoy had written on the inside. It said, very simply:

_I love you._

Oh, bloody effing hell.

**Why I'm Glad Ginny Is Dating Draco Malfoy**

  

  1. ~~When Gryffindor defeats Slytherin at the first match of the year, Malfoy will be humiliated not only in front of his House (like every year), but also in front of his girlfriend. Ginny will lose respect for him and might even break up with him! ~~
  

  2. ~~We can wind Malfoy up in new and interesting ways, and there's nothing he can do to us if he wants to stay in Ginny's good graces.~~
  

  3. ~~He'll have to make an arse of himself being lovey dovey on Valentine's Day like all the other blokes who want to keep their birds happy, or suffer the consequences. ~~
  

  4. They'll break up eventually.
  

  5. Hmm. I can't think of a fifth, but I'm sure one will come to me.
  



~.~

I have to confess: Of all the reasons I came up with to be glad Ginny was dating Malfoy, number four had always been my favorite. I enjoyed how uncompromising it was. How sure. How the outcome seemed inevitable. Number four had endured where others had wilted like a man in freezing temperatures. Number four was my rock.

So you can imagine my sorrow when I had to take out my quill and mark it off.

**Why I'm Glad Ginny Is Dating Draco Malfoy**

  

  1. ~~When Gryffindor defeats Slytherin at the first match of the year, Malfoy will be humiliated not only in front of his House (like every year), but also in front of his girlfriend. Ginny will lose respect for him and might even break up with him! ~~
  

  2. ~~We can wind Malfoy up in new and interesting ways, and there's nothing he can do to us if he wants to stay in Ginny's good graces.~~
  

  3. ~~He'll have to make an arse of himself being lovey dovey on Valentine's Day like all the other blokes who want to keep their birds happy, or suffer the consequences. ~~
  

  4. ~~They'll break up eventually. ~~
  

  5. Hmm. I can't think of a fifth, but I'm sure one will come to me.
  



Lavender said it was one of the most beautiful weddings she'd ever attended. The ceremony was performed in one of the Malfoy rose gardens, and the bride was barefoot. Mum cried buckets, and she wasn't the only one. What was it about weddings, women, and waterworks? If only everyone was crying for the reason _I_ would have been crying, if I were the sort who cried at weddings. But they weren't. They were _happy._

Even Harry and Hermione, the traitors, had welcomed Malfoy into the fold.

"He obviously loves her, Ron," Hermione said in exasperation. "Don't you think it's time you accepted it?"

"What I can't accept," I said (fairly dramatically), "is that you lied to me."

"I lied to you?" Hermione repeated, looking astonished. "When? Oh. Look, when I said I thought Ginny was still a virgin and it wasn't hypocritical to wear white—"

"Not that!" I interrupted in exasperation. I wasn't _that_ dense. Ginny and Malfoy had lived together for two years. Although the idea that in all that time they'd bade each other good night with a chaste kiss before retiring to separate rooms was one I nurtured fondly, I didn't actually believe it. Well, sometimes I did, but only for my sanity. "I mean _this!_" And here I pulled out a worn piece of parchment.

"What in the world is this?" Hermione snatched it from me. Her eyes scanned it while I crossed my arms in righteous indignation. Then she did something that appalled me. She laughed. "Oh, Ron," she said, and actually dabbed the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief!

"What?" I demanded. "You told me, Hermione. You said that if I wrote it all down, it would make me feel better. Well, I don't feel better! When the first three didn't work out, I didn't lose hope. I had number four. Number four has gotten me through many difficult times! And now, even that's gone!"

"Well," Hermione said, refolding the parchment carefully. She wasn't laughing any longer. "It's not _really_ gone. Marriages only have a one in three chance of succeeding these days, and—"

I glared at her. "They're _married_ now. I'm not going to hope for my sister's marriage to fail. They could have broken up any time before now and I would have been over the moon, but now he's ... family." I choked on the word, but I meant every word I said.

"Oh, Ron," Hermione said, blinking very fast. She threw her arms around me, and I could hear her sniffling. Even _Hermione_ was crying. There is something about weddings, I'm telling you. "I'm so glad you said that."

"There, there," I said awkwardly. Where was Harry? I might be able to do a squeeze-and-pass-off.

Hermione gave one more sniffle, then pulled away, much to my relief. Her eyes were all puffy and her nose was red. Clearly, I would have to _Scourgify_ the robes before I returned it to the rental shop. She tucked the folded parchment into one of my robes' inner pockets.

"You still have one more reason to fill out," she said, smiling in a watery way. "You never did come up with a fifth reason."

"I didn't need a fifth reason; I had number four," I grumbled.

She just smiled and patted my hand. "I think you'll come up with another one. I have faith in you."

I rolled my eyes and went in search of the bar. Number four deserved a decent send off.

~.~

I ran my fingers through Jamie's soft head of hair, pretending to hunt for something. "Aha!" I said. "I think I've found one."

"Let me see! Let me see!" Jamie bounced around on my lap, which was not exactly the most comfortable thing in the world, considering he was getting quite big for age four.

"Do you want me to pull it right out of your head? It'll hurt," I warned. I could see Ginny smiling as she stirred something delicious smelling on the stove.

"Okay," Jamie said in a small voice.

"I'll do it really fast," I said, and plucked the hair out.

Jamie rubbed the top of his head, then turned and got to his knees while still on my lap. I held the hair out in front of him, and he went nearly cross eyed trying to look at it. "See? Definitely pink."

"It doesn't look pink to me," he said, sounding uncertain.

"Well, it only makes good sense. Look at your mum's hair and your dad's hair. When you mix those colors together with your paints, doesn't it turn pink? It's only a matter of time before your entire head turns pink."

"No! I don't want pink hair, Mummy!" Jamie shouted, and bopped me on the nose.

"No hitting!" Ginny screeched.

"Owww," I said, barely able to bite back a word that should not be said in front of four year olds.

Jamie began to cry. "Everyone will make fun of me."

"Uncle Ron is just teasing, darling," said Ginny, looking at me with exasperation. Oh, sure. She'd been having as much fun with the game as anyone, but now it was my fault.

"Are you teasing me, Uncle Ron?" Jamie looked up at me with large grey eyes that were currently wet with tears. I felt like a heel.

"Of course. No nephew of mine is going to run around with pink hair," I said gruffly, and Jamie's tears dried instantly.

"I'm hungry," he announced.

"Yes, Your Highness. Lunch will be served momentarily," Ginny said, rolling her eyes.

"Mummy makes really good tomato soup," Jamie confided, climbing off my lap to get into his own chair.

"I use the fresh tomatoes from our garden, don't I, sweetheart?" Ginny said, placing a small steaming bowl in front of Jamie and larger bowls in front of the two of us. "You'd better stir that a bit; it's really hot."

"It won't be so hot when I'm done fixing it," Jamie said cheerfully.

"Fixing it?" I mouthed to Ginny. She tilted her head at Jamie, and I saw that he was spooning mounds of shredded cheese into the hot liquid. After this, he took some crackers and broke them into little pieces, letting them drop into the soup. He stirred the mixture until he'd created a homogenous mass.

Ginny sat down and prepared her soup in much the same way. I preferred mine plain. It really was the tastiest tomato soup I could ever remember having. "This is wonderful, Gin," I said.

"Oh – I forgot the bread in the oven!" She moved to get up, but I waved her back down.

"You're about to pop that kid out any moment," I said. "I'll get it." Ginny glared at me, as she glares at anyone who dares to allude to how she looks like she's carrying a giant beach ball, not a baby. I couldn't remember her being this big with Jamie.

"It would serve you right if I did," Ginny said. "Bet you wouldn't have a clue what to do."

"I'd Floo Malfoy, of course," I said, sliding the bread onto a cutting board and slicing it.

"Why, so both of you can stand around without a clue what to do?" Ginny snickered to herself.

I bought the bread to the table. "Malfoy's had practice. He's done it once before."

"Butter," Jamie said around a mouthful of soup, cheese, and crackers.

"Mind your manners," Ginny scolded. "Don't talk with your mouthful, and say 'please' when you ask for things."

Jamie swallowed, then said, "Butter, please."

"He was completely useless last time," Ginny scorned. "He was more panicked than I was."

"Well, it's a very nerve wracking time!" I defended.

I brought the butter to the table, and Ginny spread some on a slice of bread for her son. We ate in companionable silence until the dishes were empty. Jamie went off to play, and I helped Ginny clean up.

"When is Malfoy coming back?" I asked.

"Tonight," Ginny answered, rubbing her back. "He's been gone for over a week. I miss him."

"Haven't you spoken?" I said, surprised.

"Yes, he Floos every night, but it's not the same. It's different when he's actually here and can—" Ginny suddenly seemed to remember who she was talking to and paused, her cheeks turning pink. "Anyway, he'll be back tonight." She sounded brisk, but there was no mistaking the glow on her face. "I'll start on the dishes."

"Can't the house-elves take care of those?" I asked. It'd taken me awhile to get used to the fact that my sister had servants, but I was actually very glad she had help taking care of the house, especially in her condition.

"I don't mind," she said, smiling. "But don't tell Draco."

I cleared some more dishes and wiped down the table. The rubbish went into the bin, and I reached into my pocket and on impulse, pulled out the extremely tattered parchment I'd carried for many years. I unfolded it and looked at the final line. As always, it brought a smile to my face and made me feel better, just as Hermione had said it would. Of course, I should never have doubted it; she was never wrong.

And being Hermione, she had probably also known that one day, I wouldn't need it anymore. I looked over my shoulder at my sister, who was smiling and humming to herself as she rinsed dishes. I tossed the parchment into the bin along with the tomato peels, bread crust that Jamie wouldn't eat, and bits of leftover cheese.

**Why I'm Glad Ginny Is ~~Dating~~ With Draco Malfoy**

  

  1. ~~When Gryffindor defeats Slytherin at the first match of the year, Malfoy will be humiliated not only in front of his House (like every year), but also in front of his girlfriend. Ginny will lose respect for him and might even break up with him! ~~
  

  2. ~~We can wind Malfoy up in new and interesting ways, and there's nothing he can do to us if he wants to stay in Ginny's good graces.~~
  

  3. ~~He'll have to make an arse of himself being lovey dovey on Valentine's Day like all the other blokes who want to keep their birds happy, or suffer the consequences. ~~
  

  4. ~~They'll break up eventually. ~~
  

  5. He makes her happy.
  



**Author's Note:**

> I've been fighting off massive writer's block lately, and wanted to write something fun and fluffy to get the creative juices flowing again. Hope you had a good time with it. :D Also, many thanks to all the wonderful Live Journalers who commented!


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